Closure means for valve housings



March 31, 1970 w SEDUTTO CLOSURE MEANS FOR VALVE HOUSINGS Filed Nov. 28, 1967 FIGJ. F|G.6.

United States Patent 3,503,587 CLOSURE MEANS FOR VALVE HOUSINGS William Sedutto, 100 Royal Oak Road, New York, N.Y. 10314 Filed Nov. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 686,118 Int. Cl. F16k 43/00 US. Cl. 251369 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A closure for use on the housing of a valve that is particularly adapted for use in piping and similar arrangements especially in dairy and processing equipment, wherein a hot, strong detergent is forced through the system and which detergent comes into contact with valves in the system. The type of valve under consideration includes a rubber plug which, when brought into contact with the solution, would be likely to become damaged, distorted or otherwise soon rendered unsuitable for use. Hence the present invention contemplates a valve housing closure in the form of a non-corrosive or stainless steel adaptor which is substituted for the rubber plug and with such adaptor used on the valve housing during the cleaning operation. The rubber plug, while detached from the valve, can be separately cleaned with a mild solution of such a nature that it does not harm the plug, and then the plug is substituted for the adaptor after the cleaning operation in the system is completed.

The present invention relates to closures for valve housings and more particularly to a type of valve that is especially adapted for use in processing equipment such as that employed for example, in the dairy and beverage industries. In such equipment stainless steel tanks are connected with other processing apparatus by means of piping and various fittings including valves.

For cleaning such equipment, a large volume of very hot and strong detergent is circulated through it. It is desirable that the detergent be untouched by the operator particularly because it is not only of high temperature but also a strong caustic solution is often used which could cause damage to the hands. The cleaning solution employed provides a very effective cleaning action because the product pipes and processing equipment are flooded with a constantly recirculating hot cleaning fluid under pressure and at high velocity.

The cleaning solution that is forced through the system flows through the valve ports and past the valves and it is therefore essential that the parts applied to the valve housings while they are being cleaned, and which parts would be likely to be damaged because of the high temperature and nature of the cleaning solution, shall be of such material as to be unaffected by the cleaning solution. The type of valve often used in systems of the character mentioned usually has a resilient rubber plug. When such a plug consistently contacts with the hot cleaning solution during a cleaning cycle, the rubber tends to break down, become swollen and sticky and lose its sanitary advantages.

It is therefore desirable that the rubber plug on each valve be removed and replaced by a closure for the opposite ends of the valve housing, in the form of a noncorrosive adaptor before the cleaning cycle begins, which adaptor closes the upper and lower ends of the valve housing and can, for example, be composed of stainless steel or other suitable material that will be unaffected by the heat and other characteristics of the cleaning material. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a substitute for the conventional rubber body or plug of a valve of this kind, with the construction of the valve permitting the easy removal of the rubber plug, the substitution of ice the non-corrosive closure therefor, and the use of the closure during a cleaning operation; the cleaning of the plug by a mild solution while the plug is remote from the valve housing; the removal of the non-corrosive closure and the replacement of the rubber plug in the housing.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a type of valve to which the present invention is adapted to be applied;

FIG. 2 shows the clamping nut for holding the plug of the valve in position;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through a portion of the valve housing, showing the closure in place thereon;

FIG. 4 is a view in a reduced scale and with a part in section, of the valve housing closure;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 55 of FIG. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows, and

FIG. 6' is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FIG. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, there is shown therein a valve of the type to which the present invention may be effectively applied. The valve body or housing is shown at 1 and this particular housing is provided with the ports shown at 2, 3 and 4 which are coupled to the required piping forming part of the processing or other equipment in the system. Three ports are shown in the drawing but the housing may be provided with more or less as required for fluid transmission through the system.

The housing 1 has an open top 4a as well as an open bottom or lower end 5 and the inner wall 6 of the housing is of conical formation so as to snugly accommodate the frusto-conical valve plug 7. In this type of so-called sanitary valve, the plug 7 is usually composed of rubber or of some material of substantially similar characteristics. The plug is adapted to be manually turned as required within the housing and for this purpose is provided at the top with a disk 8 secured to the plug by the stud 10. A handle 9 projects laterally from the disk 8 and with which the handle can be integrally formed. It will be apparent that by manipulation of the handle the valve can be turned to its open or closed positions relatively to the ports.

The valve plug is notched or grooved as shown at 11 to enable communication between the ports in the housing to be established as required. The plug is held in position in the housing by a washer 13 that is clamped against the lower end of the housing by means of a nut 14 provided with a threaded central opening 15 so that the nut is adjustable on a threaded stud 12 anchored in and projecting from the lower end of the plug 7. It will be seen that by the removal of the nut 14 fromthe stud 12, the plug 7 can be taken out of the housing by an upward pull exerted on the handle 9. This permits the plug to be easily cleaned while it is out of the housing. The valve and the various parts thereof thus far described are known.

When it is desired to clean the piping in the system as well as the interior of the valve housings, tanks and other parts, it is desirable that this be accomplished while the plug is out of the housing 1 lest the plug be damaged be the action of a strong detergent employed for the cleaning operation. However, when the valve plug is out of the housing 1 the open top and bottom of the housing would permit the escape of the detergent and hence it is desirable that the top and bottom of the housing 1 be closed during the flow of the detergent through the valve housing.

The device for effecting a closure or seal of the top and bottom of the valve housing 1 is shown in detail in FIGS. 3 to 6 inclusive. The same includes an uppper disk 16 provided in its under face with an annular groove 17 which snugly fits over the upper edge of the housing 1. The disk 16 has a central, internally threaded hole which threadably engages the threads 20 at the upper end portion of a rod or stem 19 which has its opposite end fixedly anchored in the center of a lower disk 21. Fitted on the upper face of the lower disk 21 is a compressible gasket 22 which may be composed of rubber or similar material.

FIG. 3 shows the valve closure fitted in place on the valve housing 1 from which the valve plug 7 has been removed. By threadably adjusting the upper disk 16 on the 1 rod or stem 19, the valve housing 1 will be firmly clamped between the disks 16 and 21 and the upper and lower ends of the housing sealed against leakage of the detergent. The gasket 22 employed against the lower end of the housing 1 secured a liquid seal at that end, and the upper end of the housing, fitting into the groove 17 will effect a seal at that end. The disks 16 and 21 and the rod or stem 19 may all be, if desired, composed of stainless steel or other non-corrosive material not affected by a strong, hot deter opposite ends when a valve plug has been removed from v within the housing, said closure inclduing disks clampingly engaging the valve housing between them and respectively closing the opposite ends of the housing, a stem fixedly attached to one of the disks and extending axially through the housing, the other of the disks being adjustable on the stem to efiFect the clamping of the housing between the disks.

2. A valve housing closure according to claim 1, wherein one of the disks has a compressible gasket on its face for disposition against one end of the housing and the second disk is provided with an annular groove into which the opposite end of the housing is fitted.

3. A closure for a valve housing that is open at its bottom and at its top when a valve plug has been removed from the housing, the closure comprising a pair of plates of disk form between which the housing is clamped, one of the plates effecting a sealbetween it and the bottom of the housing and the other plate effecting a seal between it and the top of the housing, and means extending between and connecting the plates, with one of the plates being adjustable on said means.

4. A closure for a valve housing according to claim 3, wherein one of the plates has a gasket contacting one end of the housing and the second plate has an annular groove fitting the opposite end of the housing, and the means which connects th plates is a threaded stem on which one of the plates is adjustable to bring it toward or away from the plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 860,217 7/1907 Jackson l37--454.6 2,287,333 6/ 1942 Walker et al 137454.6 2,628,809 2/1953 Mikeska 251317 2,885,179 5/1959 Hartmann 251-315 2,926, 8-84 3 /l960 Clinkenbeard 25 l3 09 XR 3,052,445 9/ 1962 Kessler 251-309 FOREIGN PATENTS 691,430 5/ 1953 Great Britain.

SAMUEL SCOTT, Primary Examiner 

